Many building owners prefer traditional or historical period aesthetic appearances, and such appearances often include double-hung windows. Although double-hung windows have been designed in a wide range of ornamental architectures, they are typically less efficient than alternative window styles since they include two sashes with separate glazings that must be relatively easy to move while sealing against air leakage. Furthermore, screens for double-hung windows are installed on the exterior portion of the window so that the sash may be easily manipulated from inside the building. However, such positioning of the screen detracts from the exterior appearance of the windows and from the appearance of the entire exterior building elevation. Thus, the addition of screens may hide the architectural ornamentation contributed by the design of the windows.
A casement window addresses some of the problems associated with double-hung windows. Casement windows are more efficient than double-hung windows because they generally have a single sash. Moreover, the casement sash opens generally pivot about a vertical axis and open outwardly from the frame. Thus, any wind currents against the building wall supporting the windows tends to seal the window even tighter against the frame. Such an opening mechanism permits the installation of screens on the interior portion of the window. Unfortunately, the more modern structure of casement windows is aesthetically different from traditional double-hung window styles which would match traditional styles of architecture.
Although there are previously known decorative structures that have been manufactured for decorating building elevations, these ornamentations have not found ready acceptance in the building industry. Decorative structures, such as molded foam columns and headers, must be custom fitted at the construction site, for example, by cutting the columns and heads to a length that matches an installed window height and joining the corners. Such on-site labor substantially increases cost and difficulty of construction, and delays the completion date of newly constructed buildings. This customization is prohibitively expensive and therefore impractical for most building construction, and does not promote attempting to simulate architectural stylings on existing structures.
Furthermore, efforts to simulate actual architectural stylings such as arch topped windows are expensive and difficult to construct, particularly where double-paned insulating windows are to be installed. Contouring the glass panels, the frame, the sash and the spacers to produce a window with a contoured edge and assembling the two panes of contoured glass in sealed relation in a contoured frame would be uncommonly difficult. The curvature makes forming, fitting and sealing such components a complex task, and results in increased cost.
Accordingly, previously known window constructions do not provide the advantage of an efficient and easily installed window assembly which provides the aesthetic appearance of various architectural styles and which permits the installation of a screen without significantly affecting the appearance of the exterior elevation.